Sonnet 26
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
duty
love
writing
unworthiness
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,
To thee I send this written embassage,
To witness duty, not to show my wit:
Duty so great, which wit so poor as mine
May make seem bare, in wanting words to show it,
But that I hope some good conceit of thine
In thy soul's thought, all naked, will bestow it;
Till whatsoever star that guides my moving
Points on me graciously with fair aspect
And puts apparel on my tatter'd loving,
To show me worthy of thy sweet respect:
Then may I dare to boast how I do love thee;
Till then not show my head where thou mayst prove me.
What It Means
Shakespeare presents this sonnet as a formal written tribute — a vassal's letter to his lord. He's not worthy to speak directly, but writes this poem as a formal embassy. He hopes that when his merit 'in thine eye' improves, the star of his verse will shine and make his duty clear. Some scholars believe it was written as a covering letter for an earlier group of poems sent to a patron.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence. The feudal language of 'vassalage' and 'duty' is unusually formal compared to surrounding sonnets.
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